Sunday, 2 June 2013

Who thought they'd be seeing the first of my Victory Force horde of zombies reviews today? Sorry, you'll have to wait a bit longer as I still have 15 left to paint and I haven't photographed any of them yet. So I dipped into my photo archives and found a couple of Foundry Figures Gangers that I hadn't reviewed. These figures are from Foundry's 28mm scale Street Violence range and are set SV036 Yakuza Kingpin. It's time to go oriental in the criminal fraternity.

We start with the most obese figure that Foundry make in their Street Violence range - Little Melon. However, don't be fooled into thinking he's just a fat slob. Little Melon is a champion Sumo wrestler. That explains why Hari San keeps him in his entourage. He makes for one hell of an imposing enforcer.
The woman in red is Lauren Simms, a female bodyguard. Now originally, she was part of a trio of figures that were sculpted together and so fit on one base. She stood to the right of Hari San and held onto his right arm with her left hand. It was a simple conversion job to cut her free and I resculpted her left hand, giving her a 9mm Heckler and Koch MP5KA5 Machine Pistol. A simple bit of filing removed her left hand from Hari San's arm.
In the centre of the group is the head of this Yakuza gang - Hari San. The first thing you'll notice about him is just how small he is. That's a nice touch, in my opinion. He looks like a benevolent old businessman but he fought his way to the top, adhering to the old ways and traditional Yakuza values. He is not a man to be trifled with. The Yakuza do have a toe hold in Mayhem City but, at present, they are only a minor threat.

Hari San's chief administrator is the red-headed, Rebecca Wade. It was only this year that I got round to naming the two females and I deliberately chose that name for Rebecca as she so reminds me of Rebecca Brooks, who was at the heart of the recent News of the World scandal, in which she lost her job as editor of the newspaper. Non-UK followers may not have heard of her, but if you do an internet search for, you'll find plenty of pictures and info about her. In fact, here's one just below. I could have separated Hari San and Rebecca to make them two separate figures but that would have involved a lot of hard work. Plus, I think the pair go well together

Rebecca Brooks

The final two figures of the group are standard foot soldiers, who are similarly dressed and armed. First up is Botan. He is about to draw his katana from its sheath in a cross-body draw. The Yakuza are noted for their swordsmanship. Botan differs from Yoshi in that he wears dark sunglasses and that he appears to have no firearms. But I wouldn't put it past him if he doesn't carry a pistol in a shoulder holster.
Last up is Yoshi and he already has his katana drawn. In his right hand he brandishes a 9mm Heckler and Koch MP5KA5 Machine Pistol.
I'm trying to think if I have ever used these figures in a game before and to be honest, I don't think I have. They are nice figures but I just haven't found a use for them.
I just checked the Foundry website this morning and was surprised at how much they have increased their prices, This set, which was previously £10.00 now costs £12.60. That's a big increase! Do bear in mind that if you do buy this set that Lauren, Hari San and Rebecca are a one-piece casting.